Hydraulics 101: Part 12, Q and A
By Kevin Whipps
Now we’ll take a moment and open the floor up for questions. There are lots of questions about hydraulics, so we’ve started out by answering the major ones, but if you have any new ones, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section.
Q: My friend’s ‘78 Caprice rode like crap. Bags always ride better, right?
A: Umm, no. First let’s talk about the Caprice.
A Caprice has the classic GM front suspension. That means it probably was coil under without a shock, and probably had hopping coils up front, giving it a harsher ride. Sound correct?
Well, if he had run stock coils with shocks, or even accumulators at the correct pressure, he wouldn’t have had ride issues. I’m willing to bet, though, your friend wanted to hop, not ride great. With hydraulics, you’ve got to make compromises if you want high hopping ability.
On top of that, a bag’s ride quality depends on the pressure in the system. With a hydraulic setup, the ride is almost always constant, unless the system compresses the coil flat or the accumulator is maxed out. That’s called “locking out” the system — the pumps can’t push anymore pressure, so everything’s stiff.
Q: What about fires?
A: Fires. It’s happened to me, but that was when I was young and naive. Here’s why it happens.
If you run a standard battery, it has battery acid in it. It needs water to be maintained, and it also can heat up the plastic casing pretty well if pushed to its limits.
Fires don’t just happen — there has to be a catalyst. With hydraulics, if you hop it for an extended period of time, if you have a loose ground which causes a spark, or if you’ve heated up the pumps so much that the batteries are burning, then a terminal on the battery can melt into the casing and shoot flame out.
So what do you do to stop it?
1. Run gel cels. A gel cel doesn’t work the same way, and the battery acid won’t light up, since it’s a gel. At least I’ve never seen an Optima on fire.
2. Know the limits of your setup. Don’t push it too hard for too long. If your pumps are hot to the touch, stop! Let things cool down. Otherwise problems can happen.
Q: Hydraulic fluid is messy. Air is so clean. Why would I run juice?
A: Lift, ride, power — need I say more? Look, a hydraulic system only leaks if it’s not assembled and maintained properly. Keep your fittings tight and your seals up-to-date, and you’re fine. Also if you have a leak, fix it! Don’t let that leak piss fluid all over your truck! It’s all about laziness, really.
Q: Bags are easier to install right?
A: Not really. You can yank a coil and put in a bag just as easily as you can yank a coil and put in a cylinder. It took me about three hours to put a cylinder on the front of my truck, and it’d be the same with bags, between cutting the cup for the bag and so on. As far as the rear is concerned, it’s the same way. Make mounts, and you’re good to go. The only thing you have to consider is the size of your rams. Otherwise you’re kosher like pickles.
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There you go folks — we’re all done. If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
